Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1887-06-25

Rent is so high and space so valuable
in New York that man who could
keep his family in a handsome manner
in any smaller place must live cooped
up in one of these wretched makeshifts
for homes called flats, or else take an
apartment in one of the better class OF ten
ement-houses and there live and rear his
unhappy children, for children cramped
for room are always unhappy. These
flats are arranged on the most economic
principle. A main hallway gives access
to the private halls. These usually
run the whole length of the apartment
or suite of rooms. There are tiny parlor,
a still smaller bedroom, box of bath
room, then two smaller bedrooms not
overnight by ten and a dining room, which
usually is the largest in the fiat, as it
takes in the hall and these rooms with
small kitchen are as many as are found
in a fiat which rents for $50 a
month. To be sure, it has all the modern
improvements, an electric bell, and
Gordon, which from any height will open
bhC lIOnI uOOI, 10 Il opSohhi5
tube and letter-box for every family
and the privilege of drying ones clothes
upon the roof.
But when one wants to rent one of
these flats he must sign an ironclad lease,
he must have references and agree to
have no birds, dogs or cats, and he must
not carry on any business, not even of
teaching, and he must not drive a nail
into the wall, must rent for one year or
term of years, and generally furnish
security that in case he leaves before his
lease expires, or fails to pay his rent, the
security is to be held. 1t is very hard for
family with children to get fiat, and
if rent is not paid in advance at the be-
ginning of the month the tenant is served
with notice to quit, and his furniture is
all set out on the sidewalk in case he does
not move away. This, however, is sell
dom done in the apartment-houses, as the
landlords make themselves secure in the
beginning.
There are flats that rent for $4,000
year, and others again can be had at
PlO W plt d uCSC ldttCl, VI
course, are very far up or down town,
or over near one or the other of the
rivers, and they furnish homes to
thousands of respectable families.
These cheap flats are generally
in what they call double deckers"-
that is to say, double houses, hay
ing four separate flats on each floor.
In these they consist of one large room
that does service as kitchen, sitting,
and dining-room and laundry, two
bedrooms, both dark, but lighted by
glass windows opening from kitchen
and parlor, and small bath room back
of the kitchen. Bookkeepers, clerks,
statesmen, teachers and the better class
of mechanics rent these flats Children
spring up spontaneously like mushrooms,
and they have no place to play in but
the dirty, noisy street. Such parents as
wish to keep their little ones from the
contamination of street life rear pale,
sickly weak children, shut up in their
narrow home away from sunlight and
fresh air.
In this cramped, narrow life that is still
striving for at least show of respecta-
blllty has sprung up new need-that of
folding-beds. The two little bedrooms
were not enough, and many of these
families have one or two decent but poor
young girls who work in different places
and live or board with them; so in each
and all will be seen various devices to
hide what is perfectly transparent, that
the parlor, if not the kitchen also, serves
at night for sleeping-room. There are
folding lounge beds, sofa beds, wardrobe
beds, bookcase beds, draped mantel beds,
writing-desk beds and kitchen-table beds,
all of them good for their purpose, but
most of them instruments of torture to
sleep on. But they give space during the
day, and it is not considered at all proper
to have bed in parlor or living room
The brownstone houses in Madison,
Lexington, Fifth and Park avenues and
many of the cross-town streets near
those avenues, particularly above Four
teenth street, are occupied by wealthy
families, who find their spacious homes
all too small for themselves, but all the
rest all over the city furnish shelter to
from four to ten families each-some-
times as boarders and sometimes as
roomers only, and sometimes they are
let in floors to different families.
The price of board in New York is
from So week to $25, and in some cases
more, according to accommodation.
The price of an empty or unfinished
third-story back room, in a decent
neighborhood, is from two and a-half to
five dollars week; furnished one Just
double. Many persons take large house
and furnish it, putting in each room bed,
sofa, table, kitchen stove, dishes, ETC.,
and then renting the rooms for slight
housekeeping" each room to one fam
lily. In this they cook, eat, sleep, live
and die. They are not to take boarders
or do washing in these rooms The price
is from three to six dollars, and often
more, per week in advance no pay, no
room. The landlady Keeps coal and
kindling for sale. The coal costs eight
cents bucket (about $16 per ton at that
rate) and the wood six sticks for two
cents. She buys handful for twenty
five cents containing 800 sticks. Those
who rent houses for the purpose of sub
letting them in this manner pay from 800
to $12O per month for them unfinished,
and they contain from fifteen to twenty
rooms. Every inch of space is occupied,
and in some old-style houses, where the
rooms are large, they are partitioned off
to make more rooms. Some of these
landladies have eight and ten large
houses all rented out in single rooms for
light housekeeping" to young working
women married coupIao oftan f,o,,, Az